Will attacks in US help Trump win?

Police in New Jersey have arrested a 28-year-old US citizen of Afghan origin in the wake of bomb attacks in New York and New Jersey. 29 people were injured in the attacks on the weekend. Commentators say such attacks will play right into the hands of Donald Trump in the presidential election campaign.

Open/close all quotes
Die Welt (DE) /

Trump will exploit terror

Every attack carried out during the election campaign will only boost the popularity of the Republican candidate, Die Welt fears:

“Donald Trump has broken a taboo that serious politicians never go near: horrible things are going on in this country, the Republican presidential candidate told his supporters in Colorado Springs, and 'we must come down very, very hard'. ... After giving a speech in Washington, Hillary Clinton was told of the explosion and Trump's reaction and stressed that it was always a good idea to wait until you had more information at your disposal before making a statement. She sent her prayers for the victims and their families, as appropriate. ... Any terrorist attack before the elections will benefit Trump, who will turn it to his advantage. His vassal Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, was already pinning the blame for the attack on the Democrats and their candidate the day after the explosion. And that, we must fear, was only the beginning.”

Il Sole 24 Ore (IT) /

Clinton must shed political correctness

The investigators are working on the assumption that this was an act of terrorism and Trump was also quick to describe the attacks as such. Hillary Clinton's overcautious comments may cost her what remains of her lead in the polls, Il Sole 24 Ore comments:

“Donald Trump was the first to break the news of the 'bombs', beating all the TV channels. Then he took to task the terrorists, who were pretending to be migrants. … One thing is clear: if Hillary wants to retain her narrow lead she'll have to radically change her strategy. She'll have to say goodbye to political correctness and lacking transparency. … Her tendency not to tell the truth or to try and conceal what she thinks is becoming pathological. In the age of the Internet lies and linguistic acrobatics don't get you very far - that's her problem. And time is running out for her to change her strategy and regain her lead.”